The Arquillano family from San Francisco town on Camotes Island are detained at the Provincial Intelligence Branch (PIB) of the Cebu Provincial Police Office following their arrest past midnight on Tuesday. (CDN PHOTO/APPLE TA-AS)
A family of five members was arrested by the police after more than P2 million worth of illegal drugs was seized during a raid on their house in San Francisco town on Camotes Island in northeastern Cebu past midnight on Tuesday.
The police identified the suspects as Diosdado Arquillano, 54; his wife Ma. Jocelyn, 52; son Richard, 28; daughter Debbie, 23 and son Dodie, 18.
Also arrested were the family househelp, Giovani Pautan and Richard’s live-in partner, a 17-year-old girl.
According to Supt. Rodolfo Albotra Jr., chief of the Cebu Provincial Police Office (CPPO) intelligence branch, Diosdao had been out on bail due to drug charges.
Jocelyn, he added, was a public school teacher at the Consuelo National High School in San Francisco although she had been on leave since June last year.
Albotra said the illegal drugs trade had been family business of the Arquillanos, prompting the police to conduct an operation against them.
The police applied for a search warrant and was issued by Judge Jerry Dicdican of Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 25 in Danao City, Cebu.
Seized during the raid were 177 grams of shabu worth more than P2 million, two KG9 submachine guns, a caliber .45 pistol, several magazines and a Toyota Tamaraw FX